Steak or seafood in a restaurant?

[silenthunterstudios]

Reading the steak thread got my mouth watering, and I would like to know if the fellow knife nuts out there prefer steak when they dine out, or go for the piece of fish/lobster/stuffed shrimp etc. I used to always opt for the seafood, until recently, now I always order steak. Now, I realize that Maryland is a coastal state, and with the Chesapeake, we really are blessed with a wide variety of seafoods to choose from when we dine out. I will order a nice piece of mako shark, or some lobster, if I'm dining at a place that has had good seafood dishes in the past, but I'm moving more towards beef. Also, I used to eat out all of the time, and now reserve it for a special occassion. So, what do you guys like, steak or seafood?


Or, do you like neither?

 

[NorthStarXO]

Steak. I'm from Maryland and while I love blue crabs they're a pain to fool with in a restaurant and lobsters are usually frozen in restaurant fair unless you pick it from the tank yourself.

Now that I'm here in Washington I LOVE Dungeness crabs. They're meaty and very flavorful. Not as sweet as Maryland crabs but worth the pickin'.

 

[BadKarma05]

i like to go for the pastas, seems like there are more seafood pastas out there than steak though. and only go for the seafood if it is fresh.

 

[shappa]

If it is a new place I haven't tried (or heard valued opinions) I'll ask the hostess what their signature dishes are and base my choice partly on that.
If one of the dishes is something I don't prepare myself I'll go with that one.
The hostess is the most valued person in the front of the house. She'll know exactly which entree's are popular, which wines are the hidden value, and if the kitchen staff is putting out the meals in a timely fashion. If you have a problem/question the waitstaff cannot answer then ask the hostess.

I work in a restraunt where we do a variety of fresh seafood, steaks and prime rib and pasta's every night. After 24 years you want a bit of a change...

 

[Ken C.]

I usually go for seafood. I'm very particular when it comes to my steak. I would rather cook it myself than have some hack chef screw with it.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Now that I'm here in Washington I LOVE Dungeness crabs. They're meaty and very flavorful. Not as sweet as Maryland crabs but worth the pickin'.

I love MD crabs too, but the best part is the "mustard". Do the Dungeness have the "mustard"?

 

[kamkazmoto]

Since I saw my cholesterol numbers it better be seafood but I have to cut down on the butter sauces

 

[fulloflead]

What, no surf and turf?

I actually like pasta dishes with muscles and scallops in them - especially spicy ones, but I do steak much more often.

When I'm traveling near a coast I get a hangerin' for seafood.

.

 

[shootist16]

I like'em both. It just really depends on what mood I'm in.

 

[NorthStarXO]

The Dungeness do have mustard although out here they don't really eat it like that. And I forgot SALMON! I go nuts for it and usually eat that and a steak 2-3 times a week. Being on an island I don't get to the mainland much to eat at a restaurant but if you're ever in Tacoma...... you have to eat at Famous Dave's Ribs & Barbeque. I really miss good BBQ since my family is from South Carolina and Texas. They have an awesome atmosphere, excellent BBQ and catfish and they play blues music all the time. I could just sit there and listen to tunes.

 

[jsmatos]

I LOVE seafood! I like any type of white fish. I usually get it blackened. I also LOVE crab legs. If it's on the menu, I'm ordering it. I don't like salmon though. YUCKY. I rarely order a steak or pasta when I go out to eat.

 

[Novadak]

Steak, medium-rare. :thumbup:
I'm not much of a seafood person. For me, eating crab legs is like eating chicken feet -- tastes OK, but way too complicated.
I do love salmon though. I think it's mandatory up here.

 

[Yvsa]

If we're near a coast it's seafood for us. Living in Oklahoma and Texas beef is the mainstay. Down here generally all you can get, unless you go to a specialty fish market, is frozen and although eatable it leaves a lot to be desired.
Every once in a great while one of the supermarkets will get a load of Dungeness crab in and we almost always take advantage of the opportunity.
Also http://www.fabianseafood.com/ drives up from Texas at regualar intervals and we get fresh shrimp and other seafood from them when we can. Surprisingly affordable and beats the two local fresh fish markets in both price and service.:thumbup:

 

[Planterz]

I tend to just eat burgers, even at nicer resturants. If they can't make a decent burger, screw 'em.

 

[Bumppo]

I used to order steak, but now it is hard to find a restaurant that will cook them rare. What really bothers me is when you order a rare steak and they don't tell you rare is not available until AFTER they bring it to your table.

 

[m_calingo]

When I'm not eating at an ethnic restaurant, I'll usually order BBQ ribs or steak. However, it seems the last half dozen times or so, I've ordered steak whether it's filet, sirloin, or NY strip.

If I'm at a restaurant that features seafood, I'll go with the seafood.

 

[mycroftt]

Seafood it is. I can always burn my own steak at home but it's tough to assemble a variety of seafoods to make a big ol' "fisherman's platter" at home.

 

[Shann]

Generally if I'm at a nice restaurant or a seafood specialty restaurant I'll go with that. I don't ever eat fish at home so its a good change. I especially like a med-rare tuna or a big old plate of broiled sea scallops or crab cakes.

I generally prefer steak, though.

 

[flipe8]

It really depends on the specialty of the restaurant.I usually have what they're best at. That said, if I'm going to a place I've never eaten at, I'll usually just order a burger the way I like it to see how well they make it. I figure if they can't make a good ol' burger, no point asking them to make something else. Also, it's more or less pretty hard to mess a burger up. Not to say it can't be done, though.

 

[GG_Blaisdell]

I'm more of a steak man myself, though I do enjoy the occasional piece of fish at restaurants.

...you have to eat at Famous Dave's Ribs & Barbeque.

N.S.XO, would that place by chance serve food in the tops of garbage cans (clean and new, with wax paper lining)? I remember a place named similarly, though it wasn't where you mention. Great BBQ if it's the same chain!
EDIT: A quick search found the restaurant I was thinking of: Famous Dave's